77 308--What's the best way to fix my soft suspension?

Have you taken them off and inspected them?

They are adjustable for stiffness.

 

Those shocks are OLD. I would replace them. I had mine rebuilt when I did my suspension, but frankly it turned out to be much more expensive than just replacing them. Tirerack.com carries the Koni's for the 308. They are about $150 each.

Birdman

 

The leaning in sweepers is primarily a result of soft springing. You have a very limites choice in spring rates and no height adjustability with the stock konis. Check the new and old threads for suspension overhaul, springs, bushings ect.

Look closely at your sway bar bushings and a arm bushings. My 77 gtb bushings were gone at 23,000 when i got it, (last year). You know, as long as you are in there

hth
chris

 

Check with ProAm on Richmond, at Greenridge....

They have some aftermarket springs and sway bars...maybe Eibach has something......

 

Hi, Greg.

Springs certainly do wear out with both time and mileage.
Don't start fiddling with things like anti-roll bars before the springs, shocks, and the other basics are diagnosed as healthy.
Also, don't expect a very accurate diagnosis over the internet. There are all sorts of ranges of expertise here, but none of them have seen your car, which is pretty important!
Don't you have someone knowledgeble that you can trust to take a look for you?
I hope you get your suspension sorted out easily. 308s have fantastic ride, handling and steering, INHO. Good luck.

--Matt

 

I've heard some folks contacting JEGS (the hot-rod/muscle car catalog) for new springs. They carry (or can have built) pretty much any spring for any car. New suspension bushings in the A-Arms has helped out alot of people on the board, and unless you intend to track the car, there's no need to invest in racing shocks for your car. Fresh Konis, new springs, and new bushings should put you back on the road and tearing up corners for not-much money. Greg328 found a great deal, I'd buy those!

 

Take a look at the thread at
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39712

Here's pics you couldn't see that haven't been restored from the FChat server crash.

http://www.fca-se.org/susp/varishock.jpg
http://www.fca-se.org/susp/shocks2.jpg
http://www.fca-se.org/susp/brembo.jpg
http://www.fca-se.org/susp/arbs.jpg

 

Viagra

 

Yea, I've never had a problem with 'stiffness' in my cars.....some passing motorists have though........

Thanks Frank!!

 

Greg,

It's going to be Sunday. We just need to decide on a start location.

 

I'll bet that you have shocks that are shot. Replacing them will go a long way to making your 308 ride better. While in there, look at the suspension arm bushings. If they are original, you will have a lot of slop in your suspension system.

 

Greg,

Koni's current shocks look just like the OEM Konis that came on your '77.

In March of this year, I had all original suspension bushings on my '76 GTB replaced. The front shocks, which were original to my car, were shot and were replaced. The rear shocks, which usually go first, were replaced 5 years ago by the previous owner. I also had my steering rack rebuilt. I have new XWXs mounted. After the suspension work was done, the improvement was very noticeable. Matt's comments regarding the 308's ride, handling and steering are correct. And Robert's thoughts regarding your bushings are true. My original bushings wre pretty much shot.

Barry

 

Additionally, beyond the $535 for the shocks, they do not come with shock bushings. Plan on buying new shock bushings from one of the sponsors. They will run $45 - 50 per shock for two bushings and you need a strong bearing press to install them.

Just did mine (on a '77 GTB) in July and the difference in handling is amazing between the old and the new. Its like it used to be; and btw, the shocks tend to look great cosmetically even if they're nearly 30 years old.

 

I agree about the shocks and bushings. If you get all that sorted and still want to cut down on the sway in turns, then you can consider stiffer sway bars. I put a set on my 77 back in the 80's and noticed a dramatic difference in cornering. Great for the track. But there is a trade -- the car won't handle bumps as well.

 

Lot's of great advice. I would start with restoring what you have, rather than going the 'upgrade' route. These cars handle very nice with fresh parts. Start with the shocks and shock bushings. It that isn't fix it, then move on to replacing the suspension bushings and sway bar bushings.

The factory (and replacement) Konis are adjustable, but if they are 28 years old (likely) then there is no point in messing with the adjustments (which require they come out anyway).

 

Greg, the Koni's you have on your car are adjustable.

To do this you need to remove the shock with spring from the car.

Then you need to compress the spring with a spring compressor tool (Harbor Freight) to remove the keeper from the shock. Once the spring is off, you compress the shock down to it's limit. You will then notice that if you rotate the shock piston while compressed, there is a slot it will fall into. This is the adjuster. You turn it clockwise for stiffness and counter CW for softness.

 

The stock springs are very soft and a large part of midcorner roll. Obviously upping the anti-sway bar diameters will help too and is the cheaper route...but the springs are still way too soft.

As for shock, again IMHO, if you drive the car and want it to handle then the stock konis belong in a dumpster. If you don't drive the car hard, well I guess they are just fine.

It really is all about the way YOU drive the car and the way YOU want it to feel. With everything in tip-top shape, the car will drive and handle very well by 1977 standards and for most people that is great. If you want it to handle great by todays standards, you will need to spend some money and put in modern parts. It's just that simple. I can tell you that to me, the $2400 I spent on ohlins shocks and eibach springs was worth every cent, it was a night and day improvement, I would never every consider going back to the OEM junk.

 

The stock springs should be fine. If you want to drive the car on the track you might consider upgrading the springs and shocks but I've done a lot of track time on stock suspension and can't justify the ride you will sacrifice on the street and the expense of good upgrade products if you want to swap out stock. If you will do more street than track driving keep it stock and you will be quite pleasantly surprised by the improvement.

 

While i went with the springs/shock from Fchat sponsor Nick, the outcome echoes your sentiments. Nick's shocks are adjustable so the car can be "hot date with lady soft" or "track day hard." Fully agree, the Koni belong in the dumpster and get better shocks and stiffer springs. The difference in handling IS NOT SUBTLE and well worth it.

Let's face it, the 308 stock was sprung soft. A new MODERN system does wonders and it need not be "track hard" either. Another benefit is that new adjustable shocks allows you to lower the car, thereby getting rid of the higher front than back for better aero PLUS you can corner weigh the car for excellent handling while also lowering the center of gravity (thereby enhancing handling performance).

But hey, if you love OEM fine, but you also will NEVER know the true possibility of handling of the car (and this IS NOT meaning a pure hard/stiff suspension).